Cattle stanchions for holding and releasing cows during milking, feeding and/or veterinary treating are well-known and exist in many varieties. The goal in improvements of these devices and their systems is to make an apparatus that is relatively easy to maintain and operate, and that permits the cattle to trap themselves. Also, an operator must be able to release the cattle individually or as a group.
For prior art devices of this nature, see patents to Albers U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,592, Albers U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,566, and particularly Anderson U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,265. In each of the Albers patents there is disclosed a cattle stanchion arrangement involving a fixed stanchion and a release stanchion which includes latching or locking mechanism carried on its upper end.
The Anderson patent provides an improved self-catch or latch stanchion operated in part by gravity and in which the opening and closing operating mechanism is independent of the latch/release mechanism. Also, a manual release mechanism is provided so that a cow may be released under the circumstances where the cow has fallen and needs to be released separately. Also see the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,037,566 (Albers), 4,055,149 (Haiges), 4,150,638 (Vandenberg et al), 4,185,592 (Albers, Sr.), 4,377,131 (Vandenberg et al), 4,476,315 (Albers, Sr.), 4,495,897 (Albers, Sr.), 4,867,105 (Hatfield) and 4,930,452 (DaSilveira).